Gastar Exploration to Present at the IPAA Oil & Gas Investment Symposium

    HOUSTON, April 17 /CNW/ -- Gastar Exploration Ltd. (NYSE Amex: GST and
TSX: YGA) announced today that J. Russell Porter, Chairman, President and
Chief Executive Officer, will be presenting at the IPAA Oil & Gas Investment
Symposium to be held on April 20 - 22, 2009, at the Sheraton New York Hotel
and Towers in New York City.

    The company presentation will be broadcast live over the Internet on
Tuesday, April 21 at 8:45 a.m. Eastern Time.  To listen to the audio webcast
of the presentation and view accompanying presentation materials, visit the
Investor Relations page of Gastar's web site at www.gastar.com and select
Events/Presentations.  A replay will be archived on the web site shortly after
the presentation concludes.

    About Gastar Exploration

    Gastar Exploration Ltd. is an exploration and production company focused
on finding and developing natural gas assets in North America and Australia. 
The Company pursues a strategy combining deep natural gas exploration and
development with lower risk CBM and shale resource development.  The Company
owns and operates exploration and development acreage in the deep Bossier gas
play of East Texas and Marcellus Shale play in West Virginia and Pennsylvania.
Gastar's CBM activities are conducted within the Powder River Basin of Wyoming
and concentrated on more than 6.0 million gross acres controlled by Gastar and
its joint development partners in Australia's Gunnedah Basin (PEL 238, PEL 433
and PEL 434) located in New South Wales.

    Company Contact:
    Gastar Exploration Ltd.
    Michael Gerlich, Vice President and CFO
    713-739-1800 / mgerlich@gastar.com

    Investor Relations Counsel:
    Lisa Elliott / Anne Pearson
    DRG&E  : 713-529-6600
    lelliott@drg-e.com / apearson@drg-e.com

For further information: Michael Gerlich, Vice President and CFO of
Gastar Exploration Ltd., +1-713-739-1800, mgerlich@gastar.com; or Investor
Relations Counsel, Lisa Elliott, lelliott@drg-e.com, or Anne Pearson,
apearson@drg-e.com, both of DRG&E, +1-713-529-6600, for Gastar Exploration
Ltd.